From a student who is the newest in four generations of doctors, to another who is the first in his family to graduate from college, and everything in between, the medical school's incoming students bring together a wealth of diverse experiences and backgrounds to create the Class of 2021.

The VCU School of Medicine welcomed the 216-member class to the MCV Campus during an orientation week that kicked off with Roll Call and culminated in the White Coat Ceremony, held Friday, Aug. 11, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center.

"You will be the people who practice tomorrow's medicine. You will make tomorrow's discoveries. You will make tomorrow's cures and you will make the lives of Virginians and Americans better," said Dean of Medicine Peter F. Buckley, M.D., as he addressed the ceremony crowd. "That is awesome potential that you and only you will realize."

Keynote speaker Danny Avula, M'04, director of the Richmond City Health District, encouraged the students to embrace the Richmond community. "The more you embed yourself into the community, the more it will change the way you learn this craft."

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